Frances Andrade, who killed herself on 24 January halfway through the rape and indecent assault trial in which she was the complainant, was a hugely talented violinist, a loving wife and mother of four children.

Born Frances Shorney in Hull on 23 February 1964, she was given up for adoption as a young baby and her adoptive family settled in Cheltenham. As an adult she met her birth parents and forged a loving bond with her mother and half-siblings, who live in Canada.

She had a close relationship with her adoptive father, a vicar, and was devastated when he died shortly after she auditioned for a place at the prestigious Chetham's school of music in central Manchester. She was 13 and had been playing the violin for a only year when she was accepted. Michael Brewer, the school's then director of music and the man Andrade would later accuse of rape and indecent assault, was on the panel. He was convicted on Friday of five counts of indecent assault and his ex-wife, Kay Brewer, was found guilty of indecently assaulting Andrade when she was 18.

At first Andrade loved the school and its eccentricities – one teacher used to arrive on roller skates and there was an anarchic atmosphere. She became co-leader of the National Youth Orchestra and quickly became well known around campus for her fearless, bubbly personality and wicked sense of humour.

But there was always darkness beneath her curls, below the noise and laughter: she took an overdose of paracetamol almost as soon as she arrived in Manchester and was sent to child psychiatrists. She self-harmed throughout her life, telling the jury in the Brewer case it was what made her "feel alive". Schoolmates remember a "firecracker" with "no boundaries".

Jackie Shave, a friend for 30 years, said at Andrade's funeral: "Fran's life was like a meteor. She burned with a fierce passion, like a flame with a dodgy fuel control."

Kirsten Kingels, another longtime friend, said: "Her vivaciousness and humour brought light and colour to a sometimes drab or harsh world. Conversation fizzed and took unexpected and fascinating paths, mundane activities became missions of destiny in the force of her creativity."Her natural musical talent was never in doubt. At 13 she became the youngest person to obtain an Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) qualification with honours and, after leaving Chetham's early, aged 17, she went to Israel and then Germany, where she enjoyed lessons with Prof Ramy Shevelov.

The concert violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter said Andrade was responsible for "the most passionate violin playing I have heard". Viktor Liberman said it was "perfect in sound and expression".

In 1988 she met Levine Andrade, a Mumbai-born violinist and viola player, at a concert at St John's, Smith Square, in London. After a whirlwind romance they married in the June of that year. Together they raised four children.

She took 15 years out of music to bring up her children, barely, if ever, picking up her violin during that time. But when she decided to return to the profession, she enjoyed a varied and fulfilling career, playing concertos and recitals, as well as performing with big bands and recording music for film and television. In the later years of her life she increasingly devoted herself to teaching, and was particularly good at encouraging and motivating teenage girls.Despite the troubles in her own life, Andrade's friends remember her as an advocate for others. "She was always fighting other people's battles and getting into deep water," said Shave at the funeral. "She had an immense sense of justice and a huge, loving heart. If you were in trouble, Fran would drop everything and be there, steadfast and unwavering. She would take you by the shoulders, fix her determined eyes on you and you felt incredibly supported and stronger with her by your side."